PULSE AND PREJUDICE takes the classic Jane Austen story of Pride and Prejudice
and turns it into a vampire story. In this version, Darcy isn't just prideful or
prejudiced, and Wickham isn't just a lecher; they're both vampires, and that
adds a whole new layer to their issues with the marriage mart. I give it three
stars for the intriguing idea, interesting filler scenes, and the Austen-esque
writing style.
PULSE AND PREJUDICE by Colette L. Saucier provided an
intriguing idea - that there were darker forces separating Darcy and Elizabeth.
I liked the premise of the book. Certainly being a vampire would be an obstacle.
The vampire paradigm was explained fairly late in the book, which usually is a
drawback for me, but here, it didn't seem to make much of a difference. The way
Darcy's condition is described is sufficient for the reader until Darcy
describes it all to Elizabeth.
The writing style is similar to Jane
Austen's style, which could be a bonus or a drawback depending on what kind of
reader you are. Readers who like to challenge themselves with their pleasure
reading will do just fine, but if you are looking for something light and easy,
this is not it. I fall into the latter category, and so it took me several tries
to really get into the story. The plot also follows that of the original story,
but just twists it where the explanations for things can be attributed to the
vampire issue.
I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. If you have
seen the 5-hour BBC film version of Pride and Prejudice, you will recognize that
many key lines are integrated into this version, sometimes in the same scenes
and other times in new contexts. I liked that because the story followed the
book more closely. Sometimes, though, it detracted from the story by making the
story seem less original.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh new scenes used
in PULSE AND PREJUDICE that were not in Austen's original version. They give a
nice new perspective to what is actually happening in the story, and most of
those scenes are told from Darcy's point of view highlighting his struggles with
his condition and his desire for Elizabeth. The scenes "Beyond Pride and
Prejudice" add the spice and heat to Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship. Hence,
I give it a 3 on the heat scale, where the original was a 1 on the heat
scale.
Overall, I enjoyed the book once I was able to get into it, but
given the difficulty level of the reading, it is not a book I would read for
enjoyment. I also would have liked to see more original scenes, as those
provided the meat of the vampire part of the story.
Review originally written for The Romance Reviews at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=6206.
